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New push to encourage natural birth

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has issued new guidelines for women requesting Caesarean deliveries in a move to reduce the number of procedures.

One in four births in Britain is now carried out by Caesarean, a rate that has more than doubled since 1980.

Advice from Nice is that any woman requesting a Caesarean should have a "documented discussion" about the risks and benefits of the operation with their midwifery team.

According to the Telegraph, more women would chose a natural birth if they were given additional information about the procedure.

Pippa Nightingale, head of midwifery at Imperial NHS Trust in London told the Telegraph, "I know that some women request a planned caesarean section because of fears that their care will not be good enough and concern that they will not receive enough support during labour and delivery."

Pippa went on to say that after being given the pros and cons of both types of birth and given assurance of support from a midwife, many women will chose natural birth.